This manga was bittersweet and filled with lighthearted angst, leaving me wanting more volumes immediately. The author put a lot of thought into details, allowing the reader to make their own inferences about the characters and their inner thoughts and feelings. The art was well done and enjoyable - I spent extra time on many of the pages just taking in all of the little details. I would definitely recommend this read.

A girl growing up feeling like the side character in everyone else’s life. I think most people have dealt with imposter syndrome at one point, right? This is a great start to a new Shoujo manga series about our main character breaking away from those feelings and finding out what and who she really wants in her life. A very cozy reading experience with beautiful panels. I will definitely be reading more!

Thank you Rumi Ichinohe, Kodansha Comics and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Such a cute first volume! Our main character Hikari, is an average high school girl looking out for her best friend Mari. There are other characters and love interests introduced later on in the volume. It will be interesting to see who ends up with who as there is a lot of unrequited feelings between the characters (character A likes character B who likes character C). This volume is mostly in Hikari's POV, but we do switch to another character for the last chapter. I really love the art in the volume as well as the unfolding story. Will definitely be picking up the next volume!

I See Your Face, Turned Away is a romance shoujo, but interestingly so from the friend's point of view. Hikari is ordinary in every possible way, but her friend Mari is cute, but very shy. Hikari starts imagining Mari and Ohtani together, since she believes they're perfect for each other. Ohtani surely seems interested in Mari and Hikari helps them, but soon notices she herself has feelings for Ohtani. So, a love triangle it seems. For me Hikari's quick feelings feel superimposed, since I'm not a fan of insta love. Also, we don't get inside her head as much I as I would want to and this makes the manga feel a little detached. Hardly anything is happening, which is fine, but we would need something more to make this truly work.

The art is nice and beautiful. It's great the characters have facial expressions and altogether the manga is lively. Getting inside Ohtani's head a few times was a good thing too, since otherwise his persona would be too bland. I See Your Face, Turned Away is a cute and slow series with feelings flying everywhere - if that is your thing, then this is for you. Gladly this is realistic though!

Rating about 3.5 -4 stars
Now this is an unrequited high school love story, where the main character ends up falling for someone that she helps them get closer to their friend ; however, their friend likes someone else. Volume 1 really focuses on Hikari and her perspective- with very few scenes of the others’ perspective. We don’t know too much about her friend Mari besides that she is shy around others or about Ohtani’s friend; but we get a bit of Ohtani’s character. When I first went to read this I was a bit skeptical, I will admit. I can’t really put my finger on why but still enjoyed parts of the story and will see if I continue with volume 2. Definitely a series kinda have to be in the mood to read.

Honestly I feel that Hikari is a relatable character, she is just your average high school girl with insecurities. So far it doesn’t feel like there is a bunch of drama, which is nice since sometimes that's when stories lose my interest. I feel like the series progresses at a good rate and the direction it is going we’ll learn more about the other three characters. I know I read a couple reviews that mentioned that there are some things that could have been omitted as they don’t bring much to the story. I didn’t think too much about that. At the beginning, I had to rethink which character was Ohanti and his friend when they were in the same panel, but by the end I could sorta tell them apart based on their style and personality. 

It focuses on Hikari who is about average in every sense. She is friends with Mari, which you can imagine everyone likes, and she starts daydreaming of who would be good for her shy friend. Then she discovers the one person she imagined would be a good match ends up wanting to get closer to Mari. So Hikari helps him,Ohtani, get closer through simple acts. In the process, Ohtani and Hikari also get closer and she soon realizes she develops feelings for him. She slowly thinks about what she wants versus worrying about others.

The main character is a girl who is friends with a shy beautiful girl and is trying to help a classmate to be closer to her. It starts slowly and it seems there is going to be drama involving the friend group since the main character also likes the classmate. But the characters are nice so I have hopes the next volume will be just as good

I really enjoyed My Sweet Girl by this mangaka, so when I saw they had another series I knew I wanted to read it.

This is a coming of age manga, focusing on love and friendship. It was so relatable seeing Hikari’s thoughts and view of herself, especially compared to her beautiful best friend.

I really enjoyed having chapters from both Hikari and Ohtani’s viewpoints. I’m looking forward to the next volume, and hoping we get to see more from Asagiri’s view in that one as well.

2.5 stars.

It’s fine but there’s not much to make me want to continue. Unfortunately half of the characters feel very flat and uninteresting. The art really nice.

I am extremely interested to see how this series develops. We spent a lot of time on our first character facing an unrequited love, and I admit I got a bit confused as I know there are four. This first volume focuses mainly on Hikari, it's not until the last quarter of the volume that we switch perspectives, and I'm still not positive who our remaining unrequited lovers are (though I have a suspicion for the third!) I think we're getting really decent building of both the individual characters' personalities and their relationship dynamics with each other. I'm definitely excited to read the next volume.

First of all, I want to say that the translation was a little complicated to understand at times and I was confused about what exactly was happening. But other than that, it was pretty good! I love a good unrequired love story because it tends to be relatable and angsty.

I liked Hikari and Ohtani as separate characters and also as a ship. Honestly, Mari, Hikari's best friend, could have been more developed. I think the love triangle would make more sense if I saw something between Ohtani and Mari, but I didn't feel like the chemistry was there since her character felt flat.

Overall, it's a good start to the series, but I'm afraid it didn't leave a lasting enough impression on me to continue the series (as of now).
3.5 stars!

*Thanks to NetGalley uk, the publishers and the author for the ARC*

Full review in Booklist magazine

Hikari tries to convince herself she's not in love with Ohtani, that he's actually the perfect match for her best friend. She tries her hardest to help support her best friend find ways to talk with Ohtani and find out information about him, but the closer she gets, the more she realizes Ohtani is the perfect guy for her. This romance is a bit of a slow burn and has plenty of angst. Hopefully, the other characters can get some development in future volumes since this one focused heavily on Hikari and her perspective.

Sara's Rating: 8/10
Suitability Level: Grades 9-12

I loved this one. It kinda gives me vibes somewhere between, "My Love Mix-Up" and "Blue Flag". The FMC, Hikari is really relatelable and I can't wait for her to realize she is worthy of the spotlight too. I really like unrequited high school love stories. I'll be reading the next volume for sure.

A truly intriguing story, it immediately captivates you and intrigues you.
You can empathize with her, the protagonist, unrequited love is one of those things that really makes you feel bad.
It was truly exciting first volume, I'm super curious to know how it will continue.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers, and the author and artist for the ARC I read.

The art style is really nice and it’s a cute little slice of life story, but it’s also kind of sad being about unrequited love and all. I like the main characters but I don’t really see how this story doesn’t end up with someone getting hurt so it’s a little hard for me to want to read. At the same time I am very curious to know how it’ll end so I probably will end up picking up the sequel. Hoping for the other characters POVs in the sequel, especially Mari’s.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange of an honest review. Thank you!
First I need to mention that the translation was very confusing sometimes... Some sentences and dialogues were inexplicable... I would suggest a reread from the publisher.
The story is interesting, and Hikari is a nice and friendly character. This first volume shows the beginning of Hikari's attempst for 'matchmaking' her friends. As it is expected she meets some difficulties and dramas. I don't like her friend Mari at all... She is so boring and neutral, I don't root for her at all :'D
I think I guess what the title refers to, and so it is a good one, maybe a bit long.
It was a nice read but I don't think I will follow the story of Hikari :/

I loved reading this book.
I loved the characters. Everyone has their principles and is faithful to them. I especially loved the main character, who understands herself and decides what she wants. She is honest with herself.
I also loved the love interest, that despite liking the protagonist's friend, he's not just that. He is grateful for the friendship that the four are forming and recognizes what the protagonist does for him.
I loved it, it's so cute.
And the drawings are so amazing, I really love the art.
I'm really loving the story and super curious to see how this develops.

They say first loves never come true, and in Mori’s case, it rings true. She spends her days helping her two close friends get together, even if it’s at the expense of her own happiness. I liked this portrayal of love, where Mori sincerely wishes for her the two people she loves to find their happiness. At the same time, it’s saddening to see her heartbroken. She knows her love won’t come true but she’ll put on a smile and wish them well.

It’s a cute and bittersweet story, but it’s lacking the heart squeezing punch I was hoping to feel. This is only the first volume, and I have a feeling I’ll get this aching later on in the series.

Hmm, not sure what to say about this one. The ending left me intrigued enough to want to continue to see what happens, but at the same time, I don't feel drawn to pick it up either. 🙈

I like how Hikari does seem different compared to other shoujo manga heroines I've read recently though! I really love how she wants to be there for her friend, but I think I realized this story won't be for me with the approaching love triangle (square?).

Definitely not a bad story, but I unfortunately don't love the cast of characters enough to endure the angst this story is sure to give. 😅

Very glad I at least gave it a try though and the art sure is nice!

*(I received an e-copy from Kodansha via NetGalley. All thoughts expressed are my own.)*

A very light love triangle story, with the unrequited love helping her love interest flirt with her best friend. Cute and sweet but not really a standout for me.

WOW. The story's portrayal was simple yet absolutely breathtaking. I was immediately drawn into the story and couldn't help but want to read more. The raw emotions of the characters, the nuances of their relationships, and more were illustrated so delicately yet directly. 10/10.